Chuck Liddell
Charles David "Chuck" Liddell (born December 17, 1969) is a retired American mixed martial artist and former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion.[1] Liddell has an extensive striking background in Kenpō Karate, Koei-Kan karate and kickboxing. His kickboxing record is 20 wins and 2 losses,[2] with 16 of his wins coming by way of knockout.[3] He also has a grappling background in collegiate wrestling.[4] He, along with Matt Hughes and Randy Couture, has the most UFC fights with 23.[5] Along with fellow UFC fighter Randy Couture, Liddell is widely credited for bringing mixed martial arts into the mainstream of American sports and entertainment.[6][7][8] On July 10, 2009, he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.[9] In 2009 he competed on season nine of Dancing with the Stars.[10]
Liddell began studying Koei-Kan karate at the age of 12;[11] the tattoo seen on his scalp reads "Koei-Kan".[12] He was a four-year starter on the football team at San Marcos High School. While growing up in Santa Barbara, he often frequented the infamous Del Playa Drive, the middle of the party scene of the college town of Isla Vista, where he often found himself in fights with drunk college students.[13] He became a Division I wrestler at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo[11] and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business/Accounting in 1995.
Liddell made his UFC debut in 1998 during UFC 17 in Mobile, Alabama, with a decision victory over Noe Hernandez. Despite a submission loss to top contender Jeremy Horn shortly after, Liddell began establishing his reputation with victories over Kevin Randleman, Murilo Bustamante, Vitor Belfort, Renato Sobral and Tito Ortiz, although his victories over Belfort and Bustamante were controversial.[14]
By 2002, Liddell was considered the number one contender for the UFC light heavyweight title, with growing popularity and support from his fans. The UFC tried to arrange a title bout with then-champion Tito Ortiz, but Ortiz cited scheduling conflicts.[15] To force Ortiz's hand, they created an interim light heavyweight championship and matched Liddell with experienced wrestler and former heavyweight champion "The Natural" Randy Couture at UFC 43. Couture neutralized Liddell's hooks with straight punches and eventually began taking him down at will. Couture eventually gained full mount and forced a referee stoppage due to punches.
After this defeat, Liddell entered the Pride 2003 Middleweight Grand Prix tournament as the official UFC representative. After defeating Alistair Overeem in the first round of the tournament, Liddell was eliminated in the next round by PRIDE veteran Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, losing by corner stoppage, when his corner threw in the towel.
Returning to the UFC, Liddell was once again put in contention for the light heavyweight title, preparing for a match with former champion Ortiz. The pair had once trained together at the Pitfight Club and experienced a falling out that escalated as Ortiz taunted Liddell.[citation needed] The falling out stemmed from Ortiz's unwillingness to give Liddell a title fight, despite Liddell's status as the top contender in the UFC. Eventually, after Ortiz lost the title to Randy Couture, the two would meet in a highly anticipated fight at UFC 47 on April 2, 2004, in Las Vegas, Nevada. After most of the first round was spent feeling each other out, Liddell threw a few punches and a kick which was blocked by Ortiz, with Ortiz slapping himself on the head, taunting Liddell. When the round ended Ortiz pushed referee "Big" John McCarthy out of his way, into Liddell, and the pair exchanged words. Shortly after the second round started, Liddell threw a flurry of punches which knocked Ortiz down and led to a TKO victory. Ortiz has since stated that Liddell's thumb made contact with one of his eyes, causing him to momentarily see "nothing but black".[16] Since UFC 47, the bad blood between both fighters remained, with Ortiz repeatedly stating that he wanted "his" belt back. Despite the tension, Ortiz and Liddell would not fight again for two and a half years.
In early 2005, Liddell was a coach on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter, Spike TV's reality show which featured fighters competing for a UFC contract.[17] Liddell was the coach of Team Liddell, while then-UFC-light-heavyweight champion Randy Couture coached Team Couture. The series was a success for both Spike TV and the UFC. Both of the winners of the show, Diego Sanchez and Forrest Griffin, were members of Team Liddell and have gone on to successful MMA careers.[18]
On April 16, 2005, at UFC 52, Liddell fought Randy Couture, again for the light heavyweight title. This time the fight ended in a first round knockout victory for Liddell, making him the new UFC light heavyweight champion. Liddell was scheduled to defend his new title against UFC veteran Jeremy Horn, at UFC 54, a matchup the UFC claimed was demanded by long-time fans of the sport since Horn had given Liddell his first loss.[19] Throughout the bout, Liddell dominated with aggressive punches, causing knockdowns in several rounds. Liddell's defensive wrestling ability, especially his sprawl, stifled the bulk of Horn's offense, which was centered on grappling and submission wrestling. Liddell eventually won the fight via TKO in 2:46 minutes of the fourth round after Horn informed the referee that he could not see. Liddell had successfully defended his title and, in the process, avenged two of his three career losses.
On February 4, 2006, at UFC 57, Liddell faced Randy Couture in a rubber match, defeating Couture for the 2nd time via knockout in Las Vegas, Nevada to retain the light heavyweight championship belt. After the fight, Couture announced his retirement from mixed martial arts. In Liddell's next defense, at UFC 62 on August 26, 2006, Liddell would best Renato "Babalu" Sobral, who he had defeated nearly three years prior. Liddell scored a quick TKO victory at 1:35 of the first round.
It was announced during UFC 61 that, if he were to defeat Sobral, Liddell would face off against Pride Middleweight (205 lb) champion Wanderlei Silva. The fight failed to materialize due to the competing promotions' inability to reach an agreement. UFC president Dana White attributed this to Silva's subsequent knockout loss to Mirko Filipović.[20]
In what would be the most financially successful UFC event to date, Liddell fought a rematch with Ortiz at UFC 66, which took place on December 30, 2006. Liddell's takedown defense neutralized Ortiz's wrestling ability, forcing Ortiz to stand up with a known striker. Although Ortiz did take Liddell down at one point in the fight, Liddell went on to defeat Ortiz via TKO in the third round to successfully defend his light heavyweight championship for a fourth time. It was later revealed that Liddell tore his MCL prior to the fight. In addition, during the fight he popped the tendon out on the middle finger on his left hand.
In his fifth defense, Liddell would lose the title at UFC 71 on May 26, 2007, in a rematch with Quinton Jackson. Liddell was knocked down by a right hook less than two minutes into round 1 and was unable to defend himself against Jackson's strikes on the ground, resulting in a TKO victory for Jackson. After the loss, Liddell was widely criticized after reports indicated he had been seen in night clubs the week before the event. He responded that it was nothing he had not done prior to his other fights in Las Vegas.[22]
At the post-UFC 71 press conference, Liddell indicated he would continue to fight. Dana White also said that his next opponent would likely be Wanderlei Silva.
On July 11, 2007, Dana White confirmed in an interview with Yahoo! Sports that a rumoured bout between Wanderlei Silva and Liddell had been canceled indefinitely. Silva and Liddell were supposed to fight in the main event at UFC 76 in Anaheim, California.[23] Instead, Liddell would face Keith Jardine.[24]
In the main event of UFC 76, Liddell lost a split decision to Keith Jardine, the first consecutive loss of his career.
On October 23, 2007, White announced that a matchup between Liddell and Silva would finally take place at UFC 79. Liddell defeated Silva via unanimous decision to what many fans and MMA critics called the best fight of the year.[citation needed] Both fighters were awarded "Fight of the Night" honors. This fight was also voted 2007's Fight of the Year at the first annual World Mixed Martial Arts Awards.[25]
On February 1, 2008, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua revealed that he had recently signed a contract to fight Liddell,[26] however on March 4 it was announced on UFC.com that "Shogun" was receiving surgery on his knee and was forced to withdraw from the fight. It was later officially announced that undefeated wrestler "Sugar" Rashad Evans would replace Mauricio Rua in a bout at UFC 85 in London, England. However, a hamstring injury forced Liddell to withdraw from the fight, as well.[27]
On September 6, 2008, Liddell fought Rashad Evans at UFC 88. At 1:51 of the second round, Liddell threw a right uppercut just as Evans connected with an overhand right, causing Liddell to fall unconscious to the mat. It was revealed after the fight that Liddell had lost control of his bowels during his unconsciousness. The knockout was dubbed "knockout of the year" by MMA-website Sherdog and given "knockout of the night"-honors by the UFC.[citation needed]
Liddell has been criticized for over-relying on the same coaches and training partners.[28] Shortly following his knockout loss to Evans, long-time trainer John Hackleman confirmed that Liddell is participating in training sessions with American Top Team to "round out his skills", although he is still officially associated with Hackleman and The Pit.
On January 17, 2009, Dana White confirmed during the UFC 93 post fight press conference that Liddell's next fight would be against Mauricio Rua at UFC 97 on April 18 in Montréal, Canada.[30] On April 18 at UFC 97, Liddell was defeated by Shogun in the first round by TKO. After the fight, White declared that Liddell is retired from fighting.[31][32] White said, "I care about him. I care about his health, and it's over, man. It's over."[31] White went further, saying, "At the end of the day, I care about these guys. I don't want to see anybody stick around too long. You're never going to see Chuck Liddell on the canvas again."[32] In May however, Liddell's trainer, John Hackleman, claimed 'with confidence' that Liddell isn't done yet and that he's "definitely on top of the food chain."[33] Liddell has "more than one fight left in him." In an interview afterward, White went on to rhetorically ask "can I tell him not to fight? Absolutely not. If he still wants to fight, he can fight. I'm not saying, 'It will never happen. It will never happen.' But he made a deal with me [not to fight]."[34]
On July 10, 2009, at the UFC 100 Fan Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, Liddell was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
After UFC 101 in August, Dana White stated that "I don't want him to (fight). He wants to, so we'll see what happens."[35] Two days afterward, Liddell went on record to say that he was undecided on the matter and that "it's hard for an athlete to quit what he's done his whole life."[36] Liddell went on to say that he would be "making that decision in the gym, not in the ring" after sparring sessions.
It was later announced that Liddell would be coaching opposite Tito Ortiz on the 11th season of The Ultimate Fighter, with the two of them fighting each other on June 12, 2010, at UFC 115. However, in March, it was rumored that Ortiz was pulling out for as yet unknown reasons and Ortiz would be replaced by Rich Franklin.[37] This was then denied by UFC president Dana White.[38]
On April 7, 2010, White confirmed that Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 would be the main event for the card;[39] however, on April 12, 2010, the main event was changed to Liddell vs. Rich Franklin.
On June 12, 2010, Liddell faced Franklin at UFC 115 and was doing well until Franklin connected with a counter right hook directly on the chin to knock Liddell out at 4:55 of the first round. Earlier in the fight Franklin had broken his arm blocking a body kick from Liddell, but he used the other arm to knock Liddell out. Only a few hours after the match, UFC President Dana White declared that he guarantees "The Iceman" will not fight in the UFC ever again.[40] Liddell later said in a post-fight interview, "The only reason I lost is because I forgot to breathe." He said he can still make money for the UFC in main event fights.
Liddell is tied for second place with Randy Couture for the most wins in the UFC at 16, behind Matt Hughes' 18.
On December 29, 2010 at the UFC 125 press confrence, Liddell announced his retirement and will be taking the position of Vice President of Business Development with the UFC. [42] Liddell was visibly emotional at the announcement, finally acknowledging his retirement and fighting to get out his farewell, “Most of all I want to thank my fans and my family. I love this sport and I’m excited to go to this new stage in my life and keep promoting the best sport in the world, the sport I love… now that I’m retired.
Liddell began studying Koei-Kan karate at the age of 12;[11] the tattoo seen on his scalp reads "Koei-Kan".[12] He was a four-year starter on the football team at San Marcos High School. While growing up in Santa Barbara, he often frequented the infamous Del Playa Drive, the middle of the party scene of the college town of Isla Vista, where he often found himself in fights with drunk college students.[13] He became a Division I wrestler at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo[11] and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business/Accounting in 1995.
Liddell made his UFC debut in 1998 during UFC 17 in Mobile, Alabama, with a decision victory over Noe Hernandez. Despite a submission loss to top contender Jeremy Horn shortly after, Liddell began establishing his reputation with victories over Kevin Randleman, Murilo Bustamante, Vitor Belfort, Renato Sobral and Tito Ortiz, although his victories over Belfort and Bustamante were controversial.[14]
By 2002, Liddell was considered the number one contender for the UFC light heavyweight title, with growing popularity and support from his fans. The UFC tried to arrange a title bout with then-champion Tito Ortiz, but Ortiz cited scheduling conflicts.[15] To force Ortiz's hand, they created an interim light heavyweight championship and matched Liddell with experienced wrestler and former heavyweight champion "The Natural" Randy Couture at UFC 43. Couture neutralized Liddell's hooks with straight punches and eventually began taking him down at will. Couture eventually gained full mount and forced a referee stoppage due to punches.
After this defeat, Liddell entered the Pride 2003 Middleweight Grand Prix tournament as the official UFC representative. After defeating Alistair Overeem in the first round of the tournament, Liddell was eliminated in the next round by PRIDE veteran Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, losing by corner stoppage, when his corner threw in the towel.
Returning to the UFC, Liddell was once again put in contention for the light heavyweight title, preparing for a match with former champion Ortiz. The pair had once trained together at the Pitfight Club and experienced a falling out that escalated as Ortiz taunted Liddell.[citation needed] The falling out stemmed from Ortiz's unwillingness to give Liddell a title fight, despite Liddell's status as the top contender in the UFC. Eventually, after Ortiz lost the title to Randy Couture, the two would meet in a highly anticipated fight at UFC 47 on April 2, 2004, in Las Vegas, Nevada. After most of the first round was spent feeling each other out, Liddell threw a few punches and a kick which was blocked by Ortiz, with Ortiz slapping himself on the head, taunting Liddell. When the round ended Ortiz pushed referee "Big" John McCarthy out of his way, into Liddell, and the pair exchanged words. Shortly after the second round started, Liddell threw a flurry of punches which knocked Ortiz down and led to a TKO victory. Ortiz has since stated that Liddell's thumb made contact with one of his eyes, causing him to momentarily see "nothing but black".[16] Since UFC 47, the bad blood between both fighters remained, with Ortiz repeatedly stating that he wanted "his" belt back. Despite the tension, Ortiz and Liddell would not fight again for two and a half years.
In early 2005, Liddell was a coach on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter, Spike TV's reality show which featured fighters competing for a UFC contract.[17] Liddell was the coach of Team Liddell, while then-UFC-light-heavyweight champion Randy Couture coached Team Couture. The series was a success for both Spike TV and the UFC. Both of the winners of the show, Diego Sanchez and Forrest Griffin, were members of Team Liddell and have gone on to successful MMA careers.[18]
On April 16, 2005, at UFC 52, Liddell fought Randy Couture, again for the light heavyweight title. This time the fight ended in a first round knockout victory for Liddell, making him the new UFC light heavyweight champion. Liddell was scheduled to defend his new title against UFC veteran Jeremy Horn, at UFC 54, a matchup the UFC claimed was demanded by long-time fans of the sport since Horn had given Liddell his first loss.[19] Throughout the bout, Liddell dominated with aggressive punches, causing knockdowns in several rounds. Liddell's defensive wrestling ability, especially his sprawl, stifled the bulk of Horn's offense, which was centered on grappling and submission wrestling. Liddell eventually won the fight via TKO in 2:46 minutes of the fourth round after Horn informed the referee that he could not see. Liddell had successfully defended his title and, in the process, avenged two of his three career losses.
On February 4, 2006, at UFC 57, Liddell faced Randy Couture in a rubber match, defeating Couture for the 2nd time via knockout in Las Vegas, Nevada to retain the light heavyweight championship belt. After the fight, Couture announced his retirement from mixed martial arts. In Liddell's next defense, at UFC 62 on August 26, 2006, Liddell would best Renato "Babalu" Sobral, who he had defeated nearly three years prior. Liddell scored a quick TKO victory at 1:35 of the first round.
It was announced during UFC 61 that, if he were to defeat Sobral, Liddell would face off against Pride Middleweight (205 lb) champion Wanderlei Silva. The fight failed to materialize due to the competing promotions' inability to reach an agreement. UFC president Dana White attributed this to Silva's subsequent knockout loss to Mirko Filipović.[20]
In what would be the most financially successful UFC event to date, Liddell fought a rematch with Ortiz at UFC 66, which took place on December 30, 2006. Liddell's takedown defense neutralized Ortiz's wrestling ability, forcing Ortiz to stand up with a known striker. Although Ortiz did take Liddell down at one point in the fight, Liddell went on to defeat Ortiz via TKO in the third round to successfully defend his light heavyweight championship for a fourth time. It was later revealed that Liddell tore his MCL prior to the fight. In addition, during the fight he popped the tendon out on the middle finger on his left hand.
In his fifth defense, Liddell would lose the title at UFC 71 on May 26, 2007, in a rematch with Quinton Jackson. Liddell was knocked down by a right hook less than two minutes into round 1 and was unable to defend himself against Jackson's strikes on the ground, resulting in a TKO victory for Jackson. After the loss, Liddell was widely criticized after reports indicated he had been seen in night clubs the week before the event. He responded that it was nothing he had not done prior to his other fights in Las Vegas.[22]
At the post-UFC 71 press conference, Liddell indicated he would continue to fight. Dana White also said that his next opponent would likely be Wanderlei Silva.
On July 11, 2007, Dana White confirmed in an interview with Yahoo! Sports that a rumoured bout between Wanderlei Silva and Liddell had been canceled indefinitely. Silva and Liddell were supposed to fight in the main event at UFC 76 in Anaheim, California.[23] Instead, Liddell would face Keith Jardine.[24]
In the main event of UFC 76, Liddell lost a split decision to Keith Jardine, the first consecutive loss of his career.
On October 23, 2007, White announced that a matchup between Liddell and Silva would finally take place at UFC 79. Liddell defeated Silva via unanimous decision to what many fans and MMA critics called the best fight of the year.[citation needed] Both fighters were awarded "Fight of the Night" honors. This fight was also voted 2007's Fight of the Year at the first annual World Mixed Martial Arts Awards.[25]
On February 1, 2008, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua revealed that he had recently signed a contract to fight Liddell,[26] however on March 4 it was announced on UFC.com that "Shogun" was receiving surgery on his knee and was forced to withdraw from the fight. It was later officially announced that undefeated wrestler "Sugar" Rashad Evans would replace Mauricio Rua in a bout at UFC 85 in London, England. However, a hamstring injury forced Liddell to withdraw from the fight, as well.[27]
On September 6, 2008, Liddell fought Rashad Evans at UFC 88. At 1:51 of the second round, Liddell threw a right uppercut just as Evans connected with an overhand right, causing Liddell to fall unconscious to the mat. It was revealed after the fight that Liddell had lost control of his bowels during his unconsciousness. The knockout was dubbed "knockout of the year" by MMA-website Sherdog and given "knockout of the night"-honors by the UFC.[citation needed]
Liddell has been criticized for over-relying on the same coaches and training partners.[28] Shortly following his knockout loss to Evans, long-time trainer John Hackleman confirmed that Liddell is participating in training sessions with American Top Team to "round out his skills", although he is still officially associated with Hackleman and The Pit.
On January 17, 2009, Dana White confirmed during the UFC 93 post fight press conference that Liddell's next fight would be against Mauricio Rua at UFC 97 on April 18 in Montréal, Canada.[30] On April 18 at UFC 97, Liddell was defeated by Shogun in the first round by TKO. After the fight, White declared that Liddell is retired from fighting.[31][32] White said, "I care about him. I care about his health, and it's over, man. It's over."[31] White went further, saying, "At the end of the day, I care about these guys. I don't want to see anybody stick around too long. You're never going to see Chuck Liddell on the canvas again."[32] In May however, Liddell's trainer, John Hackleman, claimed 'with confidence' that Liddell isn't done yet and that he's "definitely on top of the food chain."[33] Liddell has "more than one fight left in him." In an interview afterward, White went on to rhetorically ask "can I tell him not to fight? Absolutely not. If he still wants to fight, he can fight. I'm not saying, 'It will never happen. It will never happen.' But he made a deal with me [not to fight]."[34]
On July 10, 2009, at the UFC 100 Fan Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, Liddell was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
After UFC 101 in August, Dana White stated that "I don't want him to (fight). He wants to, so we'll see what happens."[35] Two days afterward, Liddell went on record to say that he was undecided on the matter and that "it's hard for an athlete to quit what he's done his whole life."[36] Liddell went on to say that he would be "making that decision in the gym, not in the ring" after sparring sessions.
It was later announced that Liddell would be coaching opposite Tito Ortiz on the 11th season of The Ultimate Fighter, with the two of them fighting each other on June 12, 2010, at UFC 115. However, in March, it was rumored that Ortiz was pulling out for as yet unknown reasons and Ortiz would be replaced by Rich Franklin.[37] This was then denied by UFC president Dana White.[38]
On April 7, 2010, White confirmed that Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 would be the main event for the card;[39] however, on April 12, 2010, the main event was changed to Liddell vs. Rich Franklin.
On June 12, 2010, Liddell faced Franklin at UFC 115 and was doing well until Franklin connected with a counter right hook directly on the chin to knock Liddell out at 4:55 of the first round. Earlier in the fight Franklin had broken his arm blocking a body kick from Liddell, but he used the other arm to knock Liddell out. Only a few hours after the match, UFC President Dana White declared that he guarantees "The Iceman" will not fight in the UFC ever again.[40] Liddell later said in a post-fight interview, "The only reason I lost is because I forgot to breathe." He said he can still make money for the UFC in main event fights.
Liddell is tied for second place with Randy Couture for the most wins in the UFC at 16, behind Matt Hughes' 18.
On December 29, 2010 at the UFC 125 press confrence, Liddell announced his retirement and will be taking the position of Vice President of Business Development with the UFC. [42] Liddell was visibly emotional at the announcement, finally acknowledging his retirement and fighting to get out his farewell, “Most of all I want to thank my fans and my family. I love this sport and I’m excited to go to this new stage in my life and keep promoting the best sport in the world, the sport I love… now that I’m retired.
